Container and container closure with secure molded three dimensional image

ABSTRACT

A container closure having a closed position and an open position and including a molded portion, such as a threaded flat cap, having a molded three dimensional image, in particular a lithophane image, on at least one surface thereof, wherein the image is configured to be viewed with the container in the open position and the image is configured to be un-viewable with the container in the closed position. The flat cap may include a sealing member such as a clear liner engaging a support shoulder surrounding the image. The flat cap may further include tamper evident features for the cap.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/827,051 filed Sep. 26, 2006 entitled “Containerand Container Closure with Secure Molded Three Dimensional Image.” Thepresent application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/375,233 filed Feb. 27, 2003 entitled “Method for digitallycreating lithephane-type images.” U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/375,233 published Sep. 2, 2004 as Publication Number 2004-0170807.The present application is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 10/584,678which is the national stage application of International PatentApplication PCT/US03/37994 filed on Nov. 26, 2003. PCT/US03/37994published Sep. 16, 2004 as publication number WO/2004/079451. The aboveidentified publications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to containers and container closures withsecure, molded three dimensional image (also called relief sculptures),and more particularly the present invention relates to a moldedcontainer and molded container closure or cap with an injection orcompression molded lithophane image that is viewable only upon openingof the closure.

2. Background of the Invention

The present invention is not limited lithophane images, however apreferred embodiment of the invention includes a lithophane image suchthat a brief review of lithophane images is helpful for understandingthe scope and content of the present invention.

Lithophanes are images that can be created by varying the amount oflight that passes through a translucent material. Changing the thicknessof the lithophane substrate creates a contrast in the light comingthrough the substrate and forms the lithophane image. It is obvious thatthe material used must be translucent for the effect to work. Within themeaning of this application a lithophane image is an image in atranslucent material and which image is viewed by light coming throughthe material and in which varying thicknesses of the material are usedto form contrasts in the transmitted light to form the image.

Lithophane artworks are one of the most unusual and interesting artforms to emerge from the early 19th century. Often credited as being theinvention of Baron Paul de Bourguignon, of Rubelles, France, in 1827,the earliest forms of lithophanes were actually produced in China manyyears before other countries produced them. Chinese potters employed theprocess to trace floral designs in the delicate walls of eggshell thinporcelain vases. There is little historical evidence indicating theexact origins of this technique in China, but it is certain that theknowledge predates the subsequent discovery by the Europeans. However,it was the Europeans that evolved the concept from simple floralpictures into complex, intricately detailed scenes.

A wide variety of images appeared on lithophanes. The subject matterincluded quaint and delightful replicas of rural scenes and children atplay, reproductions of famous portraits and popular paintings, dramaticreligious scenes, hunting images, and scenic panoramas. It was theefforts of the Baron de Bourguignon that led to the great popularity oflithophanes during the mid-19th century. His concept was simply this: asheet of porcelain carved in varying degrees of thickness, when held toa light, would result in a highly detailed picture with the soft imagequality of a mezzotint. This simple concept however, was not easy toexecute. Sheer artistry of high order was required to make a mastercarving from which the lithophanes could be molded.

The very first lithophanes were individually carved entirely by hand.Soon after their introduction, the artists reasoned that molds could bemade, from which numerous pieces could be cast. In the production ofthese molds a sheet of wax was placed on a piece of plate glass. Thisprovided sufficient transparency for the artist's guidance. The fullthickness of the wax on the glass stopped all light, and any scratch orgouge produced varying degrees of gray. Therefore, the entire range ofshading from dark to bright was available for the skilled artisan tobring to life a subject image. The artist first drew his general designon the surface of the white wax. Then, with modeling knives, burnishers,and other tools, he sculpted the minute details of the subject chosenfor reproduction. From the wax carving, when finally approved by themaster model maker, a plaster cast was made. This was the original die,which was used in molding the porcelain bisque. A moist porcelain pastewas then carefully pressed into this cast, picking up all the details inthe carving. Close examination of this mold would reveal intricatesurface detail.

During the porcelain casting process, the friction of the clay wouldswiftly wear these fine details out. To address this problem, theartists developed master molds. Master molds were made out of a harderplaster than the production molds, and the image was reversed; like anegative. Production molds were then cast from the master mold, allowingmany more lithophanes to be successfully cast. The seemingly simpleprocess of removing the thin moist panels from the molds required thehighest degree of skill to avoid damaging the intricate details in theimage. Since the panels were very thin and delicate, and the kilnsextremely hot, many fired pieces were warped, twisted, and cracked. Inaddition, any slight impurity in the porcelain clay body showed up whenthe fired pieces were lit from behind. Therefore, the number ofacceptable finished pieces to come out of the kilns has always been farless than the number that went in. Sometimes, only about 40 percent ofthe panels survived this process. Since the earliest days of theirproduction, these issues have challenged the makers of lithophanes. Onlythe most determined craftsmen could overcome these difficulties, and goon to produce these brilliant art pieces.

During their heyday, lithophanes were produced by many potteriesthroughout the world. Some of the finest examples, as well as some oflargest quantities of lithophanes were produced in Germany by thecompanies Prensaich Porzellan Manufactur in Plaue (P.P.M.), BerlinPorzellan Manufactur (B.P.M.), and Koniglichen Preussische Manufactur(K.P.M.). About 25 factories in Belgium, France, Denmark, Portugal,England, Italy, and Czechoslovakia produced lithophanes during the lastcentury, with their popularity peaking in the middle of the century.Some of the well-known companies involved in lithophane production werethe Wedgwood and Worchester Potteries in England, Phoenix Pottery inPennsylvania, Beleek in Ireland, and Limoge in France. Surprisingly, noindividual lithophane artists have been identified, however, many piecesare marked with the manufacturer's name.

Porcelain Lithophanes were hung in front of windows, where the sunlightstreaming through the panel revealed the designs in the porcelain. Sincelithophanes need to be lit from behind be viewed properly, manybeautiful types of lamps were made incorporating these porcelainartworks. Because of the era from which they originated, most lithophanelamps were quite fanciful and ornate. Candle screens incorporatinglithophanes were also quite popular. Typically, they consisted of adecorative frame holding a lithophane, with a built-in candleholder toilluminate it from the rear. Multipaneled lamps were also quite popular.These came in many forms. Some were ornate shades that would hold fromfour to six flat panels, mounted on a matching lamp base. These panelscould be shaped as rectangles or trapezoids. Sometimes, a similarlyconstructed shade was made to hang from the ceiling instead. Otherlamps, instead of utilizing multiple panels, used one-piece hollowcastings; cylindrical, conical, or sometimes round, with several imagesaround their circumference. This type of shade is quite rare and highlyprized. Lithophanes were made to fit in “hurricane” type lamps, desklamps, table lamps, ceiling lamps, wall sconces; virtually any type oflighting fixture. A unique but popular vehicle for displayinglithophanes was the tea warmer. These ornate fixtures had lithophanessurrounding an enclosure, in which a candle was lit. Topping theenclosure was a metal plate on which a teapot could be set, and keptwarm from the candle below.

Another popular application for lithophanes was to cast them into thebottom of drinking vessels. As one would finish his drink, a delicateimage would appear in the bottom of the cup or mug. In Germany, manybeer steins were made with lithophanes in the base; sometimes withimages that were quite risqué. From Denmark, and France came beautifultea and demitasse sets with lovely images in the bottom of the cup. Inthe early 20th-century, Japanese potteries began to produce lavishlydecorated tea sets (called Dragonware) with images of geishas in thebottom. This practice became quite popular in the post-WWII and OccupiedJapan era for the GI trade in Japan. Production of these teacups taperedoff in the 1950's, and a few are still being made today. By the late1800s, the bloom was off the rose, and the great popularity enjoyed bylithophanes began to fade. The potteries moved on to other items, andthe highly evolved skills and techniques that the master craftsman haddeveloped disappeared with the original artists as they passed away.Since then, knowledgeable collectors, wise to the hidden beauty of thistruly remarkable art form, have avidly sought antique lithophanes.

Using the Denford Quick CAM and a CNC Machine lithophanes have beenmachined from translucent materials. Unlike photographs and paintingsthe lithophane images will remain sharp and not fade. Several parametersdefine how the machined part has to be machined. These include:material, color, cutting tool, machine parameters and time.

The machining of lithophane images is not a cost effective method offorming lithophane images economically on a large scale. Further, thetraditional porcelain substrate is not appropriate for consumableproducts.

There have been recent attempts to expand the application of lithophaneimages and to revive this art form. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,470discloses a lithophane-type pictorial work formed within a thin,generally closed container. The illustrated container has a pair ofgenerally parallel closely spaced-apart walls, one front wall and onerear wall. The front wall is transparent and has a contoured formingsurface on its inward face. This forming surface is the reverse ormirror-image of a desired contoured recessed picture-providing frontsurface of a desired lithophane-type pictorial work. When the containeris generally filled with a translucent material, the desiredlithophane-type work is thereby created within the container. This workis thin and has the desired contoured recessed picture-providing frontface where the material meets and interfaces with the forming surface.The opposite or rear container wall is translucent or transparent sothat light can pass through the work. The picture provided by the workis then visible through the transparent front wall.

Further, Design Pat. No. D504,819 discloses a specific ornamental cover,which has an inner side thereof provided with a lithophane-type image.This disclosure is incorporated herein by reference and this designpatent disclosure was filed after the filing dates of parent U.S. patentapplication Nos. 10/375,233 and 10/584,678.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,492 discloses an apparatus that includes a stamphaving a three-dimensional contoured stamping, compressing or formingsurface that is a reverse image of the contour of the recessed frontsurface of the desired finished lithophane-type pictorial object orwork. The stamp may be used to compress a pliant translucent materialthat is positioned on a base or support that has generally flatancillary surface, to form the material into the work without furtheractivity or delay. The stamp may be hand held or may be mounted on apress or the like. The surfaces may be reversed, with the stamp havingthe flat ancillary surface and the base may have the forming surface.

Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,049 and U.S. Publication 2004/0170807disclose certain methods of forming a lithophane-type image from apictorial work that can greatly facilitate the lithophane creationprocess. These references are incorporated herein by reference. Otherdie manufacturing techniques are believed to be within the skill ofthose in the art.

There remains a need to expand the utility of lithophane images, andthree dimensional images more generically, such that the use thereofwill be more fully exploited. The present invention is intended toeffectively expand the utilitarian application of lithophane type worksto consumable products, namely containers and container closures orcaps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unlessexpressly and unequivocally limited to one referent.

For the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise indicated, allnumbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, andother parameters used in the specification and claims are to beunderstood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parametersset forth in the following specification and attached claims areapproximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties to beobtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as anattempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to thescope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least beconstrued in light of the number of reported significant digits and byapplying ordinary rounding techniques.

All numerical ranges herein include all numerical values and ranges ofall numerical values within the recited numerical ranges.Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contain certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements.

The various embodiments and examples of the present invention aspresented herein are each understood to be non-limiting with respect tothe scope of the invention. In accordance with one embodiment of theinvention a container closure is provided having a closed position andan open position and including a molded portion having a molded threedimensional image on at least one surface thereof, wherein the image isconfigured to be viewed with the container in the open position and theimage is configured to be un-viewable with the container in the closedposition.

In one nonlimiting embodiment of the invention the three dimensionalimage is a lithophane image that is formed by one of compression moldingand injection molding. The term lithophane is described above within thecontext of this application. The molded material may be a thermosettingplastic. The container may further include a tamper evident structure,such as a tamper evident band, configured to seal the container in theclosed position at least prior to an initial opening of the container.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention the invention is a capfor soda or wine bottles, having a generally cylindrical cross-sectionwith one of the opposite ends open and the opposite end carrying a 3-Dlithophane work.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention the molded portion ofthe container is a container closure having a top, a skirt dependingfrom the top, internal threads on the skirt for securing the closure tothe remainder of the container, and wherein the tamper evident structureis a tamper evident band coupled to the depending skirt at least priorto the initial opening of the container. The lithophane image is on aninner side of the top. Further the top may include an annular shoulderand further including a transparent liner adjacent the shoulder.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention the liner is molded toconform to the lithophane image. Further the lithophane image may have adepth of between about 10/1000 and 90/1000 of an inch.

These and other advantages of the present invention will be described inthe following description taken together with the attached figures winwhich like reference numeral represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionillustrating the image placement;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the container closure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side section view of the container closure of FIG.1 ;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic side section view of a container closure for acontainer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic side section view of a container in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a container of the type schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-11 schematically illustrate molded container closures 10configured to be attached to a container (not shown) such as byselectively threaded onto and off of a container body (not shown) havinga threaded neck finish. The threaded container closure 10 is generallycalled a flat cap (or even a cap) in the art and is extremely well knownas a closure for beverage containing bottles, such as water bottles.FIGS. 1-3 generally illustrate the position of the lithophane image 16within the top surface 12 of the closure 10, whereas FIGS. 4-11 furtherillustrate the additional aspects of the closure 10 and relation ofthese cap components to the image 16, also called the lithophane work16.

The lithophane work 16 and the actual size of the final product, e.g.closure 10, can be adjusted relative to one another so that thelithophane-type work 16 completely occupies the top surface 12 of thecap or closure 10 between an annular shoulder 14 that is used forsealing to the container.

The closure 10 includes an injection molded circular top 12 having anannular shoulder 14 and a molded lithophane image 16 on an inner facingsurface thereof, wherein the lithophane image 16 is radial inward of theannular shoulder 14. The image 16 may be molded with the top 12, such asinjection molding, or through compression molding provided the ancillarycap structures permit compression molding, from a thermosetting plastic,as schematically represented in FIG. 4. Alternatively the image 16 maybe molded separately into the injection (or compression) molded top 12as described in alternative embodiments below. Any conventional plasticmay be used provided that the end color of the top 12 is translucent forviewing the image 16. In order to effectively operate as a containerclosure 10 and utilize conventional thermosetting plastics, thelithophane image 16 has a depth of between about 10/1000 and 90/1000 ofan inch, more preferably between about 15/1000 and 45/1000 of an inch.Further as shown the shoulder 14 will, preferably, have a depth equal toor greater than the greatest depth of the lithophane image 14 as shown.

The structure or shape of the lithophane image 16 can be formed in anyknown fashion for forming lithophane type images such as those describedin the above cited references or described in U.S. Patent PublicationNumber 2004-0170807 or international patent application publicationnumber WO/2004/079451 which are incorporated herein by reference. Oncethe structure of the image 16 is known a mold can be made in aconventional fashion. As described below, the present invention providessome advantageous cost effective methods for incorporating an imageforming die component into a mold.

The closure 10 or cap includes an integral skirt 20 depending from thetop 12 with threads 22 molded on the interior of the skirt 20 forsecuring the closure 10 to the container body with associated threadedneck finish. The closure 10 further includes a tamper evident band 24coupled to the depending skirt 20 at least prior to the initial openingof the container 10. The tamper evident band 24 is constructed to engagean interference bead on the conventional container neck finish wherebythe band will be dislodged from the skirt 20 upon first opening of thecontainer, thereby providing tamper evident features to the user. Theconstruction and operation of the skirt 20, threads 22, and tamperevident band 24 are known generally in the art. Further, thesecomponents are integral to and molded with the top 12. A wide variety oftamper evident bands 24 are known in the art, also called TE bands, andthe band 24 can take on other know configurations.

The tamper evident feature provided by the band 24 together with theimage 16 on an inner surface of the top 12 within the shoulder 14combine to define a “secure” lithophane image 16. The phrase secureimage within the meaning of this application means that the image 16cannot be viewed until the container has been opened, namely until theclosure 10 is removed from the container body. In consumable productsthis results in that the specific image 16 on an associated closure 10will not be able to be viewed by the consumer until after purchasing.This allows for the image 16 to be used as a collectable or game piecein marketing campaigns or the like where the image 16 varies fromclosure 10 to closure 10 of a series.

Alternatively to molding the image 16 with the top 12 such as in a onestep injection molding process or a one step compression molding step,the image 16 may be formed as a separate component 26 that could becompression molded into a translucent plastic closure “blank” set into arecess 28 formed within the annular shoulder 14, effectively as shown inFIG. 5. This would be a three step process where the closure 10 “blank”with top 12 having recess 28 is initially molded (e.g. via injectionmolding), then the image 16 is compression molded in place intocomponent 26 and a transparent liner 18 is placed on the shoulder 14 tocomplete the closure 10 construction. The completed closure 10 would beattached to a container body having a threaded neck finish as known inthe art. Although FIG. 5 shows the component 26 as a separate member,after the compression molding it will be coupled to and essentiallyintegral with the closure 10, particularly where the same material isused for forming the component 26 and the remainder of the closure 10(other than the liner 18). The liner 18 is often a more pliable, lessrigid material. The use of a separate component 26 also allows for adiffering material to be used for the image 16, if desired.Consequently, one material can form the top 12 that is selectedprimarily for the cap forming features, e.g. high strength and rigidity,with enough translucently to allow for the image 16. The component 26can be selected from a material that primarily optimizes the image 16quality, although the material must be compatible with the closure 10.Finally the liner 18 is selected from a material that primarilyaccomplishes the desired seal, while being sufficiently translucent forviewing of the image 16.

The transparent liner 18 may be preformed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ormolded to conform to the image 16 as shown in FIG. 6. This conforming ofthe liner 18 to the image 16 can most easily be accomplished withcompression molding, where the material of the liner 18 is much softerthan that forming the remainder of the closure 10. The compressionmolding of the liner 18 shown in FIG. 6 may be through the applicationof pressure from a liner die to a blank of liner material for formingthe liner 18. The compression molding of the liner 18 in FIG. 6 may alsobe used in the embodiment of FIG. 4 where the image 16 is formed“integral” with the top 12. The compression molding of the liner 18 tothe image 16 may have beneficial effects in viewing the image 16 throughthe elimination of air gaps between the image and the liner that mayotherwise effect the viewed image.

FIG. 7 illustrates another alternative method for forming the closure 10where the liner 18 and the image 16 are formed from the same material,namely component 26. The component 26 is forming the image 16 within therecess 28 and also forming a sealing ring or annular liner 18. Here theliner 18 is not over the image 16. The formation of the image 16 and theliner 18 can be through an appropriate compression molding die.

FIG. 8 illustrates another alternative method for forming the closure 10where the liner 18 is formed as an annular seal that does not overlapthe image 16. This annular liner 18 may be inserted or may be formedwith the closure through co-injection molding, or even through acompression molding of an annular liner blank. The annular liner 18 isshown with the component 26 forming the image 16, but the annular liner18 configuration could also be used with the integrally molded image ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative method for forming the closure 10where the liner 18 is replaced with an annular plug seal 32. The plugseal is a known container closing feature. Other known closure seals maybe formed on the shoulder 14. The plug seal 32 is shown with thecomponent 26 forming the image 26, but the plug seal 32 configurationcould also be used with the integrally molded image 16 of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate embodiments in which the image 16 is formedon the outside of the top 12. This configuration can be form the imageintegrally with the top 12 as shown in FIG. 11 or with a separatecomponent 26 as shown in FIG. 10. A transparent dust covering layer 34is added to prevent material from entering the image 16 and obscuringthe viewing thereof. The image 16 is not viewable until after theclosure 10 is removed from the container as no light can be transmittedthrough the cap or closure 10 with the closure 10 on the container. Thisconfiguration adds a covering layer 34, although such a covering layermay be optional where the closure 10 has a separate cover such as aprotective TE over-wrap or larger dust cover. Further, this embodimentdoes not limit the size of the image 16 by the sealing features on theshoulder 14. Here the image 16 can overlap the shoulder 14, andassociated sealing feature such as liner 18 or plug 32 to some extent.These embodiments are shown with the plug 32, but can be used with theliner 18 configurations.

It is possible only a single image 16 will be desired for a given lineof closures 10. In such a single image environment the image 16 willbecome a logo or trademark of sorts for the associated user. However, itis expected that the image 16 will often vary from closure 10 to closure10 for a given set of containers, e.g. the images are a collection ofathletes from a particular sport, or characters from a particular story.The commercial acceptance of the variable image 16 on a series ofconsumable containers will depend largely with the ease in which theimage 16 can be changed from lot to lot. In the compression molding ofthe image 16 discussed above the image 16 is formed from a separate dieand changing the image 16 will not require re-working of the remainingmold components. It is preferred that even in the compression design theimage die include an image containing disc inserted into the die suchthat the entire tooling need not be replaced.

In the injection molding of the image 16, a similar replacement disccontaining the image 16 (actually the reverse there of as known in themolding art) should be used. In the injection molding environment it isdesirable if this disc is formed from a highly thermally conductivematerial, with “highly thermally conductive” meaning at least 2-3 timesthe thermal conductivity of stainless steel. Barrilium Copper is oneexample, see Ampcoloy® brand alloy. The high thermal conductivity ishelpful as the presence of the disc within an injection mold willrequire that the cooling water channels be spaced farther from theoperating surface of the disc than if the image portions of the moldwere an integral component of the mold.

The above described closure 10 design and the associated moldingtechniques will allow the efficient economic use of distinct images 16in a line of consumable containers using the closures 10. The containersusing the closures 10 are identified as consumable in that they areeffectively destroyed after use by the consumer, as even recycling ofthe container will destroy the specific container.

There are numerous modifications to the invention as described. Forexample the tamper evident band may be replaced with a TE shrink wrap orsleeve around the container and the closure 10. This is a knownalternative tamper evident structure. Further the present invention isnot limited to applications on a flat cap as shown in closures 10.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a container 130 having an injection moldedcontainer body 132 coupled to a closure or lid 134 through a hinge 136.The lid 134 includes an image 116 molded on an inner surface there of. Alatch 138 and receiver 140 closes the container 130. Shoulder 142 ispositioned to receive/support a separate liner 144. In this embodimentthe liner 144 is opaque which further assures that the image cannot beviewed without opening of the container 130. The container 130 may havea tamper evident feature, such as a shrink wrap, or the like. In themedical or drug dispensing fields, the image 116 may be used to minimizecounterfeiting. The image 116 may be changed from lot to lot as desiredby the manufacturer and counterfeiters will not have access to thespecific packaging until it hits the store shelves for consumers addingdelay for those attempting to knock the products off. Further, thepresent invention allows for the economic, rapid change of the image tokeep the counterfeiters constantly behind.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been describedabove for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilledin the art that numerous variations of the details of the presentinvention may be made without departing from the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

1. A container closure having a closed position and an open position andincluding a molded portion having a molded three dimensional image on atleast one surface thereof, wherein the image is configured to be viewedwith the container in the open position and the image is configured tobe un-viewable with the container in the closed position.
 2. Thecontainer of claim 1 wherein the three dimensional image is a lithophaneimage that is formed by one of compression molding and injectionmolding.
 3. The container of claim 2 further including a tamper evidentstructure configured to seal the container in the closed position atleast prior to an initial opening of the container.
 4. The container ofclaim 3 wherein the molded portion of the container is a containerclosure having a top, a skirt depending from the top, internal threadson the skirt for securing the closure to the remainder of the container,and wherein the tamper evident structure is a tamper evident bandcoupled to the depending skirt at least prior to the initial opening ofthe container.
 5. The container of claim 4 wherein the lithophane imageis on an inner side of the top.
 6. The container of claim 5 wherein thetop includes an annular shoulder and further including a transparentliner adjacent the shoulder.
 7. The container of claim 6 wherein theliner is molded to conform to the lithophane image.
 8. The container ofclaim 7 wherein the lithophane image has a depth of between about10/1000 and 90/1000 of an inch.
 9. A molded container closure configuredto be selectively attached to and removed from a container body, thecontainer closure comprising: a top having a molded three dimensionalimage on one surface thereof, wherein the image is configured to beviewed with the container closure removed from the container body andthe image is configured to be unviewable with the container closureattached to the container body; and a skirt depending from the top, acontainer body securement mechanism on the skirt for securing theclosure to the container body.
 10. The container closure of claim 9wherein the liner is molded to conform to the lithophane image.
 11. Thecontainer closure of claim 9 wherein the three dimensional image is alithophane image that is formed by one of compression molding andinjection molding.
 12. The container closure of claim 11 furtherincluding a tamper evident band coupled to the depending skirt at leastprior to the initial opening of the container.
 13. The container closureof claim 11 further including a liner, wherein the liner is molded toconform to the lithophane image.
 14. The container closure of claim 13wherein the lithophane image has a depth of between about 10/1000 and90/1000 of an inch.
 15. The container closure of claim 9 wherein the topincludes an annular shoulder receiving the liner, wherein the image ispositioned radially inward of the shoulder.
 16. The container closure ofclaim 15 wherein the shoulder has a depth equal to or greater than thegreatest depth of the lithophane image.
 17. A container closureconfigured to be selectively threaded onto and off of a container bodyhaving a threaded neck finish, the container closure comprising: aninjection molded top having an annular shoulder and a molded lithophaneimage on an inner facing surface thereof, wherein the lithophane imageis radial inward of the annular shoulder; an integral skirt dependingfrom the top, threads molded on the skirt for securing the closure tothe container body; a sealing mechanism in the form of one of atransparent liner and a sealing plug adjacent the top on the annularshoulder surrounding the image.
 18. The container closure of claim 17wherein the shoulder has a depth equal to or greater than the greatestdepth of the lithophane image.
 19. The container closure of claim 18wherein the lithophane image has a depth of between about 10/1000 and90/1000 of an inch.
 20. The container closure of claim 11 wherein thesealing mechanism is a sealing plug in the form of a liner that ismolded to conform to the lithophane image.
 21. A article of manufacturecomprising: a surface; and a lithophane-type work visible through thesurface and having a thickness adjusted as a function of opacity ofmaterial from which the surface is made and a color of the material. 22.The article of claim 17, wherein the lithophane-type work is sculptedwithin the surface.
 23. The article of claim 17, wherein thelithophane-type work is erected on a top of the surface.
 24. The articleof claim 17, wherein the article is selected from the group consistingof cans, caps, key chains, eatable items and caps each having apolygonal or annular cross-section.